Zutara Date Day
by Lauren The Panhead
Summary: Sorry it's a day late! I hope it was worth all the wating! Rated K plus because I can do whatever I want! The first Zutara date. Toph is in here, too! Short Iroh/Zuzu moment, Iroh/'Tara moment.  Still not using their names. Ha!


Zutara Week

Day 4- Date

Disclaimer: Zutara Week (A sacred holiday!) is the only good thing that came out of ATLA. Mike and Bryan are idiots. I will not claim their Kataangist stupidity. (And thank you very much to the person who said they wished that I did own ATLA! Congratulations, whoever the crap you are, you made me smile!)

Author's Note: Yeah, I'm getting some great reviews… And I can't _even_ tell you how excited I am about that, but… Well, I'm going to be greedy and ask for more. I got another review on 'Forgotten' and posted chapter six, by the way! (Give you any ideas?) Moving right along, on the subject of flamers, I wrote a lil' poem (Just for you guys)! Shut up. I know I'm weird.

Haters will hate

Waiters will wait

I don't care what flamers think

'Cuz I know I'm still great!

Wow. I'm deep. Anyways, flamers, you guys are serious turds. No one cares what you think! If you no like, you no read! (It's not that hard. I promise!) So… Here goes it! (Thanks to all of my _nice_ reviewers! I love you guys!)

The Jasmine Dragon was closed for the day. It was the one-year anniversary of the end of the war, as well as the coronation of the new Fire Lord. The group was huddled around the big Pai-Sho table in the middle of the room. Iroh stroked his gray beard while glaring at the game board. His face was dead-serious and concentrated. Finally, after long minutes of nervous tension flooding the room, he looked up to his opponent.

"I never thought it _possible_…" Everyone held their breath, including the Fire Lord, himself. "You have… _beaten_ me at my own game…" She beamed. "Yeah, well... You know…" She eagerly reached across the board and snatched up his tiles. He looked up at the young girl and sighed. "Maybe later we will have a rematch? That is… if I have any pieces left!" Everyone else sighed in relief. The old man laughed, followed by his blind opponent and the others. Well, everyone except for the Waterbender.

She went out to the small balcony and leaned against the railing. A certain Firebender noticed that she had left almost immediately. He sighed and quickly made his way out to where she was standing. He took note of the fact that Aang, her own _boyfriend_, hadn't noticed her leaving. Actually, he was setting up the Pai-Sho tiles for a new game. He sighed again.

She looked down from the small, cobblestone balcony. She soon felt a pair of eyes on her and turned to see him. No, not her boyfriend. _Him_. He gave a weak smile and made his way over. "What do _you_ want?" He leaned his back against the railing and looked back towards the tea shop. "You're not okay. You haven't been for… a while now." She sighed and turned away. She was wearing a light green dress and had two locks of hair reaching towards the intricately designed braid on the back of her head. She looked more like herself in shades of blue, but green wasn't that far of a stretch. "So? The war's over. It's been over for a _year_, now. Aang finally mastered the elements. People are finally starting to get over their fear of the Fire Nation… Who cares if _I'm_ not happy?"

He hesitated. "…I do. I know you want Aang to be happy…" She jerked her head toward him. "But it shouldn't be at your expense. If he loves you, he'll understand. Trust me, no one wants to be in a relationship with someone who doesn't love them back." With that, he calmly walked back into the little shop. She was astonished. Mostly because… he was _right_. How did he know? She hadn't told anyone. _Trust me… _The words rang in her head. Had he been through the same thing? She had no idea. Suddenly, she felt very lightheaded. She wobbled back into the shop to find that he wasn't there. Everyone was looking at her. Everything blurred as she turned her head. "Sugarqueen's about to fall out!" She heard the Earthbender say. She felt Iroh's hands grab her shoulders as she slipped into darkness.

It seemed like he was simply roaming through the streets of Ba Sing Se, as he often did, but he knew exactly where he was going. He stuck to the main roads, not wanting to take the dark, narrow alleys. She would be home. Somehow, his brief talk with the blue-eyed girl made him realize something. _No one wants to be in a relationship with someone who doesn't love them back. _How did he not realize it sooner? He stood outside her house. He looked at the door, half expecting her to come out and run into his arms. Hesitantly, he knocked on the huge, black door.

An old man, a servant, answered. "Th- The Fire Lord! It- It is an honor." He quickly bowed. "What brings you here at such a late hour, might I ask?" He looked down. "_Mai_." The old servant nodded. He could hear the tone in the man's voice. "Of course." He was led to a couch in the living room. A few minutes later, she came quickly gliding down the stairs. He jumped up and wrapped her in his arms before she could say anything. "I'm sorry, Mai."

She pushed him back and stared into his watering eyes. "Wh- What are you…" He looked down. "I'm sorry for… letting us get this far…when I…" She began to cry. "No, please… I- _We_… Don't go…" The desperation in her voice made him cry. She reached up to wipe the tears away, but he turned from her. She let a small whimper escape her lips as she turned back towards the stairs. "I… I don't love you… like I did… I'm sorry." She turned back to face him. "_Don't_ be. Good night…" She ran upstairs and he turned towards the door to leave. Suddenly, he felt a feeble old hand on his shoulder. "She will recover. You did the right thing." The Fire Lord smiled weakly at the old servant. "Thank you."

She woke up in an unfamiliar room. She was on a bedroll on the floor with Aang's gray eyes meeting hers. "You're awake? What _happened_ to you?" Suddenly, she heard another familiar voice. "Leave her _alone_, Twinkletoes! She needs some rest." He smiled faintly at the caramel-skinned girl before standing to leave. She saw the blind girl make her way over to sit at her side. In a softer voice she started, "Do you want some tea? I think Iroh's making some. He said you need to rest." She nodded. She didn't _feel_ weak. What had happened-? Oh, right. _Him_.

"Where am I?" She asked. This took the Earthbender by surprise, but she answered, "The back of the tea shop. I think this room is-" She lost herself in a train of thought. "Where is he?" Toph was extremely confused now. "Aang? He, uh, just left…" The girl closed her eyes. "No…" Toph's milky eyes widened. "Um… He's out on the terrace… I think…" The Waterbender instantly stood, heading in what she figured to be the direction of the door. She was halted by two strong hands. _Warm_ hands. "You need to rest. Go lie back down. I'll tell my uncle you're awake." His hands lingered on her shoulders until he was sure she would do as he said. "Stay in here… please…?" Toph grinned, feeling his heartbeat double in speed. "Well… I'll just leave you two alone, now…" With that, the black-haired girl pushed past them and into the hall.

She sat back down on the green mat, but didn't want to go back to sleep like everyone had insisted. He reluctantly sat beside her. "You were right… about Aang." He bowed his head, not sure what to say. "If he knew how I felt… He wouldn't want us to be together…" He looked up into her ocean blue eyes, and quickly shook his head. "Last night I broke up with Mai." He suddenly blurted. The ocean blue eyes widened. "Why…?" He looked away. "I thought about what I said to you… I… don't love her…" She put a hand on his shoulder. They just sat there for a moment.

"I… I guess that's a good thing…" Gold met blue. In that one look, it was as if all their thoughts were revealed. He smiled a bit. "Yeah… I think it is." She smiled. "I don't want to hurt Aang…" "If you don't, you'll just be hurting yourself…" His voice suddenly became demanding. She nodded. "I know. Thank you. You… You're a great friend…" Her smile weakened, as did his. She stood and walked into the kitchen. Everyone seemed surprised to see her, except Toph, of course. She wore her usual smirk, but today's was… different. She knew something.

_Iroh approached the room he had put the young woman in the night before. He was shocked to see his little Earthbending friend kneeling with one palm pressed to the ground. She held a small finger to her lips and he nodded. She began whispering, "She's awake. Sparky just went in there. Did you know he broke up with Mai last night? And I think Sugarqueen's gonna dump Aang, too!" His eyes widened. "What are we going to do about this?" A devious grin crawled upon her face. He smirked, as well. "I'm not sure, but I know one thing: Sparky's heartbeat goes a million times faster when he sees her. Iroh restrained the urge to laugh excitedly. "She's coming!" They quickly went to join the others in the main room as if nothing had happened… but they both knew. They shared the same evil grin as she entered the kitchen, followed by that certain Firebender._

"You and Lady Mai are no longer together?" He asked, hiding his knowledge from the man. _Why did he keep calling her 'Lady' Mai?_ "No… Yesterday I went over to her house…" Iroh gave an acknowledging grunt. The scarred man bowed his head. "It also seems that a certain young lady has just ended her relationship with the Avatar…" He mentioned in a sing-song voice. "_Uncle_!" The old man put up his hands. "I know… It's just… Have you ever _considered-_" The Fire Lord did not like the sound of this. "No! I _haven't_, actually! I can't believe you would…Ugh!" He sulked towards the door when a soft voice reached his ears. "Oh, what? _I'm_ not good enough to date?"

His eyes widened as she entered the room. He turned and cringed a little. "What? No! That's not what I-" She chuckled and shook her head slowly, making her soft brown hair float around her caramel face."Wow. I was just kidding. Didn't realize you cared so much!" He grunted in frustration. At this point, Suki had her head poked in the door, listening closely. "I'm going to meditate!" She laughed and sat down across from the old man. Once his nephew had stormed off, he laughed merrily along with the girl.

Suki had entered the shop at this point, and sat in between the two around their table. "What was _that_ all about?" Suki asked. "Yeah, what _was_ that about?" He looked guilty. "I was just-" He looked at her, puzzled now. "Are you telling me you take no interest _whatsoever_ in my nephew?" She blushed. She had never really thought about it. "Well…no." He frowned a bit. "You don't sound so sure of yourself…" He reached for a kettle in the middle of the table and poured some tea for himself and the Water Tribe girl. He looked to Suki. "I think it would be better if we talked in private." She nodded her agreement and walked back outside to an angry Sokka.

She sighed. "Last night he gave me some very good advice." Iroh raised a brow in question as he took a swig of tea. "Oh?" She nodded. "He said that I shouldn't try to be with Aang if I didn't love him. It wouldn't be fair to either of us." She started to play with her hair, which was a sloppy version of the way she had last night. He grumbled in agreement. "My nephew has grown much wiser." He waited for her to look him in the eye before continuing. "Aang will be fine. These things take time to heal." She nodded, smiling weakly. "That must be why he went to end things with Lady Mai…" He stroked his beard as he was lost in thought at his own remark. "I think so."

Iroh grumbled something that she couldn't quite hear. "You two seem to be _great_ friends, you and my nephew." A smirk crept onto his face. He hid it with another sip of his tea. She looked down. "Yeah. I just think we have more in common than some of the others…" She gasped as he chuckled. "But that doesn't mean _anything_! We're just friends!" He closed his eyes and shook his head slowly. "Of _course_. You might want to tell _him_ that." She stood, flustered, and walked through the kitchen into the hallway. She walked past Iroh's room to the next one. The door was locked. She lightly rapped on it. "It's me…"

The door opened after a slight hesitation on the Fire Lord's part. She smiled, trying to read his face. "Took you long enough." He said, and sat back down on a small chair. She sat in an identical chair across from him without invitation. His narrow gaze shifted, but refused to meet her cool blue eyes. "I'm sorry. I… didn't mean anything…" He sighed heavily and nodded. "I know. II guess I overreacted." He smiled up at her, and held her gaze for a moment, until both averted their eyes awkwardly. "Are you okay?" She put a dark hand on his shoulder and he looked back up at her. There was a pleading look in his eyes that made her blush. "Yeah. I'll be okay."

She gave him one of her shining grins. "Good." She released his arm and started for the door, but he grabbed her wrist. She gasped and turned to face him. "Come with me for a second?" She looked suspicious, but finally nodded. He beamed and almost dragged her out of the room. He took her to the balcony. The sun was about to set and it cast a beautiful orange smudge across the sky. She stared at it in appreciation. When she looked to him, he wouldn't face her. He, too was admiring the glowing sky. He smiled when he felt her blue eyes on him. He breathed deeply and closed his eyes. "You rise with the moon." She was a little confused, but urged him to go on. "Yes…" "I want to see that." He looked down at her, his amber eyes piercing her blue ones with a look of utter love.

"You're always so beautiful in the daytime… I want to see you tonight. There should be a full moon." She beamed at this and threw her arms around his neck. He instinctively coiled his around her waist. She pulled away and let herself meet those deep, shining eyes. "What about you?" He gave a quizzical look which made her laugh. "We'll have to stay out here all night for _me_ to see _you_ rise with the sun."

He beamed and scooped her up in his arms. He spun her around once, and laid her down on the cobblestone. The Fire Lord situated himself next to her. He turned his head to his left, only to see her scooting closer to him. Together they sat under the sky. He watched her as she seemed to glow in her moonlight. The sight was utterly breathtaking to him. She watched him bask in the sunlight, growing brighter and brighter. Most of all, they looked into each other's eyes. Blue and gold never went together so well. "I think I love you." She grinned. "Well, then… I _think_ this might actually work. I think I love you, too."

They laughed. They had _never_ been happier. Neither had a certain Earthbender who had been sitting in the shop the whole time. Toph grinned knowingly. Iroh would be sure to hear first thing in the morning.

Author's Notes… Yay!

The Fire Lord wrote this one.

AND I KNOW IT'S A DAY LATE! I'M SORRY!

I couldn't finish last night, but I think I'll do a one-shot to make up for it.

Fair trade?

Cool. Anyways…

Thank you to all of my WONDERFUL reviewers!

*Annoyingly throws confetti in reviewers' faces*

My songfic (Comatose) is coming! I promise!

But I'm currently drowning in Zutara Week!

But, yeah… You can expect a one-shot fairly soon.

That will be my OFFICIAL apology for posting this a day late!

Also, I don't think I will be posting anything for AU Day.

*Crowd cries in despair*

I just love it too much the way it is!

I'm sorry. How about another songfic to make up for it?

I'm thinking… The Last Night by Skillet should do just fine!

Would it be an AU if I just re-wrote the ending?

I mean, technically a Zutarian ending wouldn't be the original ATLA universe…

I'll think about it.

Would you rather have that or a songfic?

I'll do a poll later.

Seriously, though… Would a happy ending (For us!) be an AU?

Lemme know!

Oh! And tell me if you'd rather have a Zutara "AU" or that songfic!

I got another review on 'Forgotten'!

Woot! Going to post chapter 7!


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